The Gist — Funny You Should Mention: Geoffrey Asmus

Host: Mike Pesca
Guest: Geoffrey Asmus (Comedian)
Date: February 6, 2026

Overview

In this “Funny You Should Mention” Friday episode, Mike Pesca welcomes stand-up comedian Geoffrey Asmus for a playful, in-depth conversation about Asmus’s comedic persona, his upbringing, his approach to writing jokes, and the perils and joys of provocative humor. Largely steering clear of political labels or recycled takes, Asmus thrives on layered jokes, misdirection, and poking at societal and personal taboos — all while maintaining an engaging, irreverent, and lightly self-deprecating tone.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins & Persona in Comedy (04:21–06:58)

• Discovery and Persona: Pesca shares how he heard about Asmus through a friend—amusingly, someone with a similar name (“Jeff Dar” as a “serious condition”).

• Marketing as “Only Funny White Man”: Asmus uses the tongue-in-cheek claim of being “the only funny white comedian in America” as a provocative self-description online.

• Anti-Lutheran Riffs: Asmus jokingly brands himself as the “most anti-Lutheran comedian,” lampooning both religious rivalry and comic exaggeration.

  Quote:

  “I can’t stand those Lutheran pigs. Otherwise, any other group of people is fine by me.”
  — Geoffrey Asmus (05:21)

2. Religious Upbringing and Its Influence (06:06–09:09)

• Catholic Childhood: Asmus recalls attending church multiple times a week — for family and school, often appreciating the shortened class days as much as the rituals.

• Performance Inspiration: He draws parallels between priests' pulpit performances and the art of stand-up, noting how even non-theatrical priests would toss in crowd-pleasing jokes.

  Quote:

  “That was probably the first comedy I ever saw… when they get the laughter from that joke… people would go nuts.”
  — Geoffrey Asmus (07:52)

3. Satire, Provocation, and Political Ambiguity (12:07–14:03)

• Truth vs. Persona: Asmus explains that he often says things onstage that aren’t strictly true — especially politically charged lines — as a means of lampooning the culture, not necessarily reflecting his beliefs.

• Layered Comedy: He prefers “layer two”—masking his real views and keeping the audience guessing—over obvious, pandering political comedy.

  Quote:

  “…to just be like, I’m a liberal and Republicans are lame—that’s kind of like, just in my opinion, that’s like layer one of comedy. Layer two is like, I say, like it’s… It’s like the Colbert Report…”
  — Geoffrey Asmus (12:43)

4. Audience Dynamics & Pushing Boundaries (13:40–14:59)

• Losing (and Winning) the Audience: Asmus is willing to lose segments of the audience, finding it more interesting than pandering exclusively to left-leaning or right-leaning crowds. He values the mix and the challenge.

• Jokes as Social Experiments: He describes how straightforwardly stating a ridiculous right-wing talking point, for example, can satirize the absurdity of real-world beliefs.

  Quote:

  “Sometimes sincerely saying, like, maybe a right wing belief at face value... just shows how ludicrous it is that anyone would actually believe that.”
  — Geoffrey Asmus (14:37)

5. Comedy Writing: Truth, Timing, and Spacing (17:40–31:12)

• Using Truth Creatively: Many bits are “true enough” rather than entirely biographical (e.g., his joke about not masturbating until 25 is “mostly true”).

• Spacing Out Material: Asmus discusses how crucial joke order is — especially with risqué material. He emphasizes spreading out shock-value jokes (e.g., multiple “dick sucking” jokes) to maximize their impact.

  Quote:

  “I think one of the most underrated parts of comedy is the order of it. Actually... you can’t have three dick sucking jokes back to back. You gotta space them out 20 minutes.”
  — Geoffrey Asmus (28:51)

6. Running Gags & Memorable Bits (19:39–30:47)

• Geography and Masculinity: Asmus’s childhood obsession with memorizing world capitals stemmed, in part, from not “finding” sex due to his Catholic upbringing.

• Provocative Material: He’s devised bits that risk offending but which he insists are always “funny first” (e.g., cousin crush jokes, mocking corporate wokeness, or “homeless guy” bits as subversive twists).

  Quote:

  “Why would I be afraid of a guy who’s currently sucking my dick? You know, that was a classic.”
  — Geoffrey Asmus (24:19)

7. Layered and Easter Egg Jokes (34:47–36:32)

• Extra-Credit Comedy: Asmus likes embedding “Easter egg” wordplay or subtle lines that may not get a universal laugh but reward attentive fans.

  Quote:

  “Sometimes you need to just throw, like, Easter eggs to the crowd a little bit... jokes that are funny, but maybe only a third of the crowd’s gonna get why it's really funny.”
  — Geoffrey Asmus (35:53)

8. Joke Fallout and Family Drama (31:12–34:47)

• The Cousin Bit: One of his more infamous jokes—about being attracted to a cousin—ended up causing real rifts in his family and had to be retired (“That joke, actually, I had to retire that joke.” — 34:22).
• Line between Persona and Real Life: He explains the “meta” nature of his comedy and how family members sometimes have trouble separating bit from biography.

9. Comedy as Social Satire (38:17–41:21)

• Losing Right-Wing Fans: Asmus has posted jokes (e.g., about Tylenol and autism, or immigration) that have lost him followers, especially those who misread his act as sincerely conservative.
• Corporate and Social Satire: He skewers both ends—mocking “lame corporate liberalism” (Target dropping DEI initiatives), as well as the hypocrisy of “both sides” of political outrage.

10. Craft, Clothing, and Stage Persona (40:02–41:21)

• Crewnecks as Distraction: Asmus prefers crewneck sweatshirts with city names as both a comfort and a subtle crowd connector.
• Fashion “Rules” in Comedy: He critiques old traditions about comic dress and embraces bringing notes onstage, as long as the act is funny.

11. Whimsy about Career and Success (41:44–47:17)

• Wikipedia Aspiration: Asmus jokes (and half-seriously claims) that his main career goal is just to have an organic Wikipedia page—not one he makes himself.
• Past Jobs: Pesca amuses him by referencing his old LinkedIn and past work as a childcare worker and tutor, which Asmus regards as embarrassing relics.
• Barometer of Comic Success: Causing family conflict (with the cousin joke) and being able to delete LinkedIn are, he says, signs of truly “making it” in comedy.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On subtext and layered comedy:

  “What I’m doing is basically what the Colbert Report kind of… the joke’s not obvious. You have to kind of sift a little bit through it. Be like, is he being serious or is he not?”
  — Geoffrey Asmus (12:59)

• On truth in comedy:

  “Everything I say on stage is true. It’s not just a contrived premise to bring you joy.”
  — Geoffrey Asmus (12:01)

• On spacing shock jokes:

  “You don’t want to do ten straight sex jokes. That gets a little… So it’s funnier to space them out.”
  — Geoffrey Asmus (29:30)

• On audience mix:

  “I don’t want all liberals because that’s boring as well. So you want a mix, you want a mix of people. It makes it more exciting for everyone.”
  — Geoffrey Asmus (13:58)

• On personal milestones:

  “If I get a Wikipedia, I’m doing good. I’m done. That’s it. That’s all I want.”
  — Geoffrey Asmus (44:57)

Noteworthy Segments (by Timestamp)

• Anti-Lutheran Riff (05:21)
• Priestly Humor and Comedy Roots (07:52)
• Trump, Attention, and Comedy (06:22–06:54)
• Discussing Political Ambiguity (12:07–14:03)
• Spacing Risqué Material (28:51)
• Debate Over Joke “Easter Eggs” (35:53)
• The Fallout from the Cousin Joke (32:54; 34:08; 34:22)
• Discussion of Crewneck Shirts (40:02–41:00)
• Wikipedia as Life Goal (41:44; 44:57)
• Retrospective on LinkedIn and Old Jobs (42:40–44:46)

Closing Tone

The episode is rich with Asmus’s sharp, self-aware humor, bouncing from theological jabs to deeply meta reflections on the nature and future of stand-up. Through it all, both Asmus and Pesca approach even the most “offensive” comic material as opportunities to interrogate, reward, and sometimes gently antagonize their audiences — and themselves.

Upcoming gigs:

• “Could Be Worse” tour: Asmus is hitting most cities over 200,000.
• Tickets and info at whitecomedian.com (a name chosen in 2014, “before it was problematic”).

Career milestone aspiration:

• “My goal in life [is] to get a Wikipedia page… organically.” (41:55, 44:57)